Simon Peter before Luke 5

• Luke 4:31, 38; John 1:44; I Corinthians 9:5 – Peter was a married fisherman from Bethsaida.
• John 1:35-42 – Peter met Jesus through his brother Andrew.
• Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39

The Scene (Luke 5)

• Peter, Andrew, James, and John are cleaning up after an unsuccessful night of fishing (Luke 5:2, 5; Matthew 4:18-22).

“At your word I will let down the nets”

• Peter calls Jesus “Master”
• Jesus command probably didn’t make much sense to Peter.
  • He obeyed
  • Jesus as an example (Matthew 26:39, 42; John 6:38; Philippians 2:8)
• Worldly wisdom and God’s word are often in conflict.
• We must know God’s word.

Bible examples

• Noah
• Abraham
• Conquering Jericho

Practical applications for today

• Matthew 5:21-26
• Matthew 5:27-30
• Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9
• Matthew 5:38-42; Romans 12:17, 19
• Matthew 5:43-48; 7:12
• Romans 14 – Foregoing a liberty

Breaking nets and sinking boats

• By Luke 5:8, what is Peter’s main concern? His own sin!
• Isaiah 6:5
• This is not the last time Peter is afraid (Matthew 14:30; 17:6; Galatians 2:12).
• Peter now calls Jesus “Lord” (Luke 5:8)
• What is the connection between what Peter experienced (aw and felt) and what he said?
• Sometimes our lives must crumble before we seek God.
  • I John 2:15-17; Hebrews 4:16; James 4:8
  • Matthew 27:3-5 – Contrast with Judas.
• I Peter 5:5
• Other Bible characters whose lives crumbled, yet remained steadfast:
  • Naomi – Ruth 1
  • Job – James 5:11
• Being a following of Jesus means humbling ourselves – emptying ourselves of our own will and desires and replacing them with God’s.
• How to remain steadfast during difficult times?
  • Build strength during easier times (Did Job get that way overnight (Job 1:8)?)
  • Lean on God – Psalm 55:22; I Peter 5:6-7
  • Lean on fellow Christians – I Peter 4:8-9
  • Read, study, and meditate on the Bible (Psalms 119:105)
  • Pray and sing (James 1:5-6; 5:13; Colossians 3:16)
  • Shun worldly wisdom (Proverbs 16:22, 25)

Leaving everything and following Jesus

• Jesus as comforter – Luke 5:10; Matthew 5:4
• They left everything.
  • I Peter 1:3-9
• Jesus call, rejected – Matthew 19:22
• Matthew 10:38
  • Matthew 16:24
• I Corinthians 15:58 – We are called to work.
• What is something you’re holding on to that is preventing you from following Jesus fully?

Introduction

• We’re told religion must be saved from extremism.

Jesus is the way

• John 14:6 – “I am THE way.”
  • John 8:21-24
  • Acts 4:12 – “Neither is there salvation in any other.”
  • Mark 16:16
  • John 6:44-45 – Man is to be taught, then learn and come to God.
  • Matthew 7:21
  • Mark 16:15-16 – Those that don’t believe will be condemned.
  • John 15:6
• I Corinthians 6:9-10 – Adulterers shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
  • Matthew 19:9 – Jesus teaches that after a divorce, all remarriages are adulterous relationships, with one exception.

Worship must be as God commanded

• John 4:23-24 – Worship must be in spirit (from the heart) and in truth.
• I John 1:9 – We must abide in the teaching of Christ.
  • The truth – the teaching of Christ
    • Sing – vocal music from the heart
      • Acts 16:25
      • Romans 15:4
      • I Corinthians 14:15
      • Ephesians 5:19
      • Colossians 3:16
      • Hebrews 2:12
      • James 5:13
    • Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week
      • Matthew 26:29
      • Acts 20:7
    • The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God
      • I Corinthians 6:9-10 – homosexuals, drunkards, thieves, covetous

Conflict with the world

• Some contend that such extremism promotes physical fighting and wars, and terrorism against others.
  • II Corinthians 5:11; 10:3-5 – We do not war according to the flesh. We must bring every thought into captivity.
  • Ephesians 6:11-20
• As we persuade men, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, as Christ did …
  • John 7:7 – The world hated Jesus.
  • John 15:18-19 – The world hated Jesus’ disciples.
  • II Timothy 3:12 – Living godly includes being an extremist like Jesus and His disciples.

Introduction

• If you had a stiff-necked child that needed to wake up, what would you say to them? God started with Creation.
• Genesis 1:1 – This was written by Moes for the Israelites – a stubborn people.
• Job 38:1-4
• John 1:1-3
• I John 1:1

The Law of Causality and the Cosmological Argument

• Everything that had a beginning had a cause.
• If something exists, it either always existed, or it had a beginning.
• The physical world could not always have existed.
• Therefore, the physical world had a beginning.

Since the physical world is not eternal, its ultimate cause must be eternal.

• What is the physical world?
  • Matter
  • Energy
  • Time
  • Matter, time, energy E=mc^2
  • Information

Causality, the physical world, and Isaiah 40:28

• The cause of the physical world must transcend …
  • Time
  • Matter
  • Energy
  • Information
• Why Creation matters
  • Is it just to know true facts?
  • There is more to this world than matter, energy, time, and information.
  • Therefore, there must be a cause or source of these things as well.
• What else exists?
  • Beauty
  • Variety
  • Provision
  • Good
  • Love
  • Evil
  • Suffering
• The Bible’s account is the best explanation for all that we observe.

Why is Creation THE answer?

• Revelation 22:13, 12
• Isaiah 40
  • Isaiah 40:5, 3 – The glory of the Lord to be revealed
  • Isaiah 40:6-8 – All flesh is as grass.
  • Isaiah 40:27, 29-31 – Provides from His infinite resources to those who wait for Him.
• Job
  • God created, God provides, God knows.
• Genesis 1:1
  • Exodus 3:13-14 – Who sent Moses? I AM.
• John 1:1
  • The man Jesus is the I AM.
• I John 1:1
  • Jesus is the source of light and love.
• Colossians 1:17 – In Him all things hold together.
• How great do you have to be to transcend the physical world? The cause must be adequate for the effect. So how big is the effect – holding all things together?
• II Peter 3:10 – One day, all things will dissolve with fervent heat.
  • Dissolve: Break of destroy but also untie or loose, like a sandal, a donkey, Lazarus
    • Acts 2:24
    • I John 3:8
• II Peter 3:11, 14

Things to always remember when having uncomfortable conversations

Biblical uncomfortable conversations recorded and not recorded:

• Genesis 3:9-13
• Genesis 4:9-10
  • What about the conversations between Adam and Eve after Cain killed Abel?
  • What about the conversations between Adam and Eve and Cain?
  • What about the conversations between Adam and Eve and Seth?
• Genesis 19:1-9, 36-38 – Lot and his daughters
• Genesis 25:28; 27:41 – Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob
• Genesis 37:3-5 – Israel and Joseph
• I Samuel 2:22-25, 34 – Eli, Hophni, and Phineas
• I Samuel 3:16-18 – Samuel and Eli
• I Samuel 13:12-14 – Saul and Samuel
• I Samuel 16:21; 18:3, 7-11 – David and Saul. Who should have had an uncomfortable conversation with Saul?
• II Samuel 3:1-5; 11:1, 4, 27 – David’s sin with Bathsheba
• II Samuel 12:13-14, 18-24 – Nathan and David
• II Samuel 13:1, 14-15, 21-23 – Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom
• John 8:1-11 – Jesus and the woman caught in adultery
• I Corinthians 5:1-11 – Paul and the Corinthian church

In the New Testament we read about three different confessions that are unto salvation.

Confession with the mouth to become a Christian

Romans 10:9-10:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

This is not a confession of sin. It is a confession that Jesus is Lord. It is the confession that the eunuch made. “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8:37) It is faith responding.

Confession of sins

Acts 8:22:

“Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.”

1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

It is not a confession “if I have sinned.” It is a confession that I have sinned. It is a confession of sins. This confession of sins is to be as public as is the sin. If only God and you know the sin, confess to Him. There is no need to publicly confess sin that is not publicly known. If you and another know of the sin, confess to him (James 5:16). If the sin is publicly known, confess it publicly. Others are not to question the sincerity of the confession; rather they are to count it sincere unless and until there is proof otherwise. The sin IS to be confessed because one repents, not because one has been caught.

Confession of life

Matthew 10:32:

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”

This is a context of persecution. As sheep in the midst of wolves (v. 16); be scourged (v.17); brother against brother (v.21) hated by all (v. 22) persecuted (v. 23) called names (v. 25) even death. (28) Fear not, rather confess. This is not just a mouth confession; it is a life confession. See Matthew 7:21 and Luke 6:46. The Lord will confess to those who make this confession. He will deny those who just say “Lord, Lord.’ This confession is taking one’s cross and following Jesus (v. 38). To be saved, everyone must confess Jesus today. We have no yesterday, nor tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation.

To become a child of God one must confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9-10). To be forgiven of sin a child of God must confess his sin (1 John 1:9). To be in fellowship with God, one must confess with life, do the things He says. Matthew 7:21-27)

Jesse G. Jenkins